This application claims the benefit of Korean Application No. 2002-51627, filed Aug. 29, 2002, in the Korean Intellectual Property Office, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates, in general, to microwave ovens and, more particularly, to a microwave oven which is designed such that a water container is arranged at an upper portion of a cooking cavity and a steaming container is arranged at an upper portion of a housing, thus steaming food and cooking the food using microwaves at a same time, and thus keeping an interior of the cooking cavity clean after steaming the food.
2. Description of the Related Art
As is well known to those skilled in the art, a microwave oven is an appliance which heats and/or cooks food placed in a cooking cavity thereof using high-frequency electromagnetic waves generated by an oscillation of a magnetron installed in a machine room. That is, during a cooking process, the magnetron installed in the machine room of the microwave oven irradiates microwaves throughout the cooking cavity. The microwaves penetrate the food so as to repeatedly change a molecular arrangement of moisture laden in the food, thus causing molecules of moisture to vibrate and generating frictional heat within the food to cook the food.
The microwave oven is provided in the cooking cavity thereof with a turntable-type cooking tray. The turntable-type cooking tray is rotated at a low speed such that microwaves evenly irradiate the food placed on the turntable-type tray to cook the food. Thus, the typical microwave oven cannot cook the food using steam.
Further, when cooking food using steam in the microwave oven is desired, a water container must be provided in the cooking cavity to generate the steam. Accordingly, water contained in the water container is heated by the microwaves to generate the steam. The food is cooked using the steam generated from the water contained in the water container.
FIG. 1 is a schematic sectional view showing a conventional microwave oven, with a steaming container installed in a cooking cavity.
As shown FIG. 1, the conventional microwave oven with water containers includes a cooking cavity 1, magnetrons 2a and 2b, and a holder 5. The cooking cavity 1 defines a space to cook food 3. The magnetrons 2a and 2b to generate microwaves are externally installed on upper and lower portions of the cooking cavity 1, respectively. The holder 5 is installed in the cooking cavity 1 to hold a food shelf 7 to seat the food 3 thereon and hold first and second water containers 4a and 4b. 
The first water container 4a is held on the holder 5 at a position above the food shelf 7, and the second water container 4b is held on the holder 5 at a position below the food shelf 7. Water absorbing materials 6a and 6b are put in the first and second water containers 4a and 4b, respectively, to generate steam by the microwaves irradiated from the magnetrons 2a and 2b. Thus, when the magnetrons 2a and 2b are operated, the microwaves irradiate the water absorbing materials 6a and 6b provided in the first and second water containers 4a and 4b and heat the water laden in the water absorbing materials 6a and 6b to generate high-temperature steam. At this time, the high-temperature steam is transmitted to the food 3 to cook the food 3.
However, the conventional microwave oven with the water containers is constructed such that the water containers and the holder to hold the water containers are installed in the cooking cavity so as to enclose an entire space of the cooking cavity. Thus, in a case of steaming the food in the microwave oven, to cook the food by direct-irradiation of the microwaves is not possible. On the contrary, in a case of cooking the food by the direct-irradiation of the microwaves, to steam the food 3 is not possible. Thus, the conventional microwave oven with the water containers has a problem such that to cook the food by the direct-irradiation of the microwaves and to cook the food using the steam generated from the water by the microwaves at the same time is not possible.
The conventional microwave oven with the water containers has another problem such that one or more water containers are arranged on upper and lower portions in the cooking cavity, respectively, and food to be steamed is placed between the water containers, so that water and oil produced from the food are discharged into the cooking cavity while steaming the food, thus making the cooking cavity dirty, therefore inconveniently necessitating cleaning of the cooking cavity, as well as the steaming container, to make the cooking cavity and the steaming container clean after steaming the food.
Accordingly, it is an aspect of the present invention to provide a microwave oven, which is designed such that a water container is arranged at an upper portion of a cooking cavity and a steaming container is arranged at an upper portion of a housing, thus simultaneously allowing one food to be placed in the steaming container arranged at the upper portion of the housing and another food to be placed on a turntable-type cooking tray mounted on a lower portion of the cooking cavity, thereby steaming the one food and cooking the other food by the direct-irradiation of microwaves at the same time.
Another aspect is to provide a microwave oven, which is designed such that water and oil produced from the food during steaming are collected in the steaming container, thus keeping the cooking cavity clean.
Additional aspects and advantages of the invention will be set forth in part in the description which follows and, in part, will be obvious from the description, or may be learned by practice of the invention.
The foregoing and/or other aspects are achieved by providing a microwave oven, including a housing, and a cooking cavity provided in the housing and open at a front thereof, wherein a water container is arranged at an upper portion of the cooking cavity to generate steam from water contained in the water container when heated by microwaves, and a steaming container is arranged at an upper portion of the housing so as to be placed above the water container to cook food contained in the steaming container using the steam generated from the water container.
The water container is open at a top thereof, and a plurality of steam holes are formed on an upper surface of the cooking cavity seating the water container to allow the steam generated from the water container to move into the steaming container.
Two flanges horizontally and outwardly extend from two predetermined positions on an upper edge of the water container, respectively, and two holders are provided at predetermined positions of the upper surface of the cooking cavity to hold the flanges such that the water container is removably supported on the holders.
A top opening is provided at the upper portion of the housing so as to be positioned above the steam holes formed on the upper surface of the cooking cavity, and the steaming container is seated in the top opening, so that the steam passing through the steam holes of the cooking cavity is transmitted to the steaming container through the top opening.
A water supplying guide is placed in the top opening such that the water is supplied to the water container through the water supplying guide to generate the steam in the water container arranged at the upper portion of the cooking cavity.
The water supplying guide includes a bottom portion having a central opening at a central portion thereof, with an upward projecting rim provided along an edge of the central opening to define an outside channel containing water between the upward projecting rim and an outside edge of the bottom portion of the water supplying guide, and a sidewall upwardly extending from the outside edge of the bottom portion of the water supplying guide and provided with a flange outwardly and horizontally extending from an upper edge of the sidewall, wherein the flange is seated on an edge of the top opening so as to be supported at the upper portion of the housing, and the steaming container is seated and supported in the central opening of the water supplying guide.
At least one water supplying hole is formed on a bottom of the outside channel of the water supplying guide, such that the water stored in the water supplying guide is supplied to the water container through the at least one water supplying hole, and a guide hose may be connected to the at least one water supplying hole to guide the water into the water container.
The steaming container includes a body opened at a top thereof to receive food to be cooked, and a lid closing the open top of the body, wherein a plurality of steam holes are formed on a bottom surface of the body to transmit the steam to the food placed in the body.
A food supporting tray is installed in the body of the steaming container so as to be spaced apart from the bottom surface of the body by a predetermined distance and is provided with a plurality of steam holes, with the food to be cooked being placed on the food supporting tray.
The steam holes formed on the bottom surface of the body of the steaming container are bored in lugs upwardly projected from the bottom surface of the body of the steaming container by a predetermined height, and the steam holes formed on the food supporting tray are arranged so as to be eccentric from the steam holes of the body, wherein water and oil produced from the food placed on the food supporting tray pass through the steam holes of the food supporting tray and are then collected on the bottom surface of the body of the steaming container.
The steam holes formed on the bottom surface of the body of the steaming container may be larger, in diameter, than the steam holes formed on the food supporting tray.